Intersections
by poeticgrace
Summary: There are many street corners in New York City. Here are a few that were important in the summer of 2011.
1. West 11th & Bleecker

Robin and Barney reunited at the corner of West 11th and Bleecker outside Magnolia Bakery three weeks after Lily grandly announced that she was having a baby. It wasn't built up like last time or even expected at all. No, this one was a random occurrence that started with a craving for a cupcake and ended with a street-corner kiss. It was just one of many intersections that would come to mean something to the gang that long, hot summer.

Hailing from Vancouver, Robin wasn't used to the kind of cruel and sweltering heat that summer in New York brought. She had a dresser full of wool socks and nowhere to wear them. She could still remember that first summer when Lily had loaned her flip flops for a few weeks until she took her to a GAP uptown and made her buy a pair in every color. It wasn't that summer never came to Canada. It just only lasted a few weeks.

However, this unusual heat wave was going on two full weeks with above-100 temperatures, and the whole city seemed to be going crazy. That's why she happily agreed to go with Barney for a quick dessert, a much-needed reprieve from days of never leaving the safety of her air conditioned apartment. She was starting to miss fresh air, or at least New York's version of it. With a few dollars shoved in the pocket of her lightweight shorts, she headed out into the unforgiving afternoon with her ex-boyfriend with absolutely no idea of where the day would take her.

"C'mon, Scherbatsky, try to keep up," Barney urged her as he jetted down the sidewalk toward a cab waiting at the curb. The yellow taxis were harder to come by lately as everyone thought it was too hot to walk anywhere. "Seriously, Robin, let's move it. I'm not losing another cab because your Canadianess can't keep up."

Robin scowled at him but still picked up the pace. The humidity was wreaking havoc on her hair, and the sudden sweat attack taking over her body had pretty much rendered her completely unattractive. Still, there was this way that Barney smiled at her crookedly over his shoulder as she jogged behind him that reminded her that she wasn't wholly unappealing. Even in an insult, she could still see that glimmer of attraction that had first drawn him to her.

"Whatever, Sworley," she muttered, bringing back an old but favorite nickname for the player. He narrowed his eyes as she crawled into the taxi. "Let's just go get a cupcake. Mama has a craving for red velvet."

"Maybe we could play laser tag later," he said distractedly before telling the cabbie the address of their destination. They were both quiet for the next several minutes, bored and starting out the window as the car waited its turn at a red light. Traffic was surprisingly light for the time of day, but Robin reasoned that all the sane people were enjoying the AC of their apartments and offices. "So did I tell you about my date last night?"

Robin tore her eyes from the guys doing construction on Sixth Avenue to look over at her friend. "No, what is the story this time? Did you find a nun? A naïve Southern debutante? A biker chick from that bar in Hell's Kitchen?"

"Funny," he laughed humorlessly. "She was actually a model, thank you, straight from the runway of the spring Versace show in Milan. A total knockout, blonde with legs for miles, pretty much perfect really."

"Well, good for you," she bit off before returning her attention to the hard-hatted men pouring concrete. It wasn't the first time Robin had regaled tales of Barney's love life since their breakup, but she was tired of pretending to care.

"No, good for us," he smiled, and this time, the grin wasn't as vulgar or showy. Instead, it was earnest and genuine, a sure-proof sign that he had something up his sleeve. It told her that "us" meant her and him and not some no-named model that she would never meet. "I learned something last night, something that I can't wait another day to tell you." Cocking her head to the side, Robin couldn't help but wonder what in the world Barney could have on his mind. "Rumor has it, I am still in love with you."

It had been a long time since there had been an "us" to speak of when it came to them, so that's why she can't believe her ears when he makes the admission. "Come again…"

"Thanks!" Barney said suddenly as the cab snapped to a stop on their appointed street corner. Barney handed a few bills over to the driver and then extended his hand to help her slide out of the car. He didn't allow her to ask any more questions or say much else other than ordering her cupcake when they finally made it to the counter. After paying for their treats, he led her to a small table in the corner and dove right into his own lemon curd treat. "Delicious."

"Barney."

"Robin."

"We're just going to act like you didn't say that?"

"No, we're going to eat our cupcakes."

True to his word, Barney didn't say another word until they were both finished with the cupcakes, leaving nothing behind except a few errant crumbs. Once he had properly disposed of the paper linings and napkins, he reached for her hand again and led her outside. Without letting go, he pulled her flush against him and then kissed her long and deep. When the moment was over, she felt him smile against her lips in what she knew to be a sign of victory.

"Okay, Stinson, what the hell?"

He seemed taken aback by her sudden streak of anger but didn't even attempt to let go of her. "I meant what I said, I love you, Robin."

"Well, I don't love you."

He scoffed at her easily enough because they both knew it wasn't true. "You do and I do and that is exactly what I told Enid last night when I realized I had been talking about you for over fifteen minutes while we were waiting for dessert. I started telling her that story about that time we got all those sundaes for that laser tag team, and she told me I hadn't smiled at her a single time like I was smiling just talking about you."

"And?"

"And I realized that if I could sit there in front of one of those most beautiful women in the world and just want to talk about you…Well, that means something."

"Like what?"

She wasn't giving him an inch because she knew he'd take the proverbial mile. They had done this dance before and it had ended badly. He had broken her heart, even if he didn't really think he had. "Like the fact that, yeah, Robin, I really do love you. I messed up things before. I'll probably mess things up again. I'm not good at relationships, but then again, neither are you. I can't promise I won't hurt you. I can't promise that I'm going to be the boyfriend girls dream about. I can't promise a lot, but I can promise that I will love you and that I will always love you. It's not a lot, Scherbatsky, I know, but it's what I've got."

This time, it was her who pulled him by the wrist to her and kissed him. His mouth tasted tart and lemony and like a promise that yeah, okay, this might just work out after all. And the air suddenly didn't seem so hot and the humidity wasn't so unbearable on that walk back to his apartment. It was a new start for them both, just another intersection from where the past ended and the future began.


	2. Seventh Avenue & 39th Street

A few weeks after Barney and Robin found their way back together, Marshall came to a crossroads himself at the famous statue of a needle and button at Seventh Avenue and 39th Street. It had been a rollercoaster year for the lawyer, from losing his father and job to finding the position of his dreams and learning that he was going to be a father. Everything was finally starting to look up, and he was feeling typically optimistic that Thursday morning. If only he could just find the gown.

"Marshall, we have to get that gown."

Biting down on his tongue to prevent himself from snapping at his pregnant wife, Marshall pasted a patient smile on his face and nodded obediently. "I know that, Lilypad, I heard you the first twelve times you told me. That is what I am trying to do," he reminded her gently. Her hormones were raging, and he had been the recipient and observer to a number of mood swings in recent days. "We are going to find this gown and you are going to look like an angel, just like in the picture."

As he followed his wife down the street toward yet another boutique, he wanted to kill Robin. If she hadn't had the brilliant idea to give Lily parenting magazines last week to distract her while she drank scotch, she probably wouldn't have gotten it in her head that they needed to have pregnancy pictures. She wasn't even showing yet, but she was already planning for things to come. After seeing the article impressive photo spread of a radiant pregnant model looking unrealistically effervescent in a garden, she had decided that she needed to replicate the entire scene, right down to the dress. Thus, he had spent his entire Saturday looking for a flowing white gown that she wouldn't wear for another seven months.

"C'mon, you baboon," Lily barked before stopping. She watched happily as a mother passed by pushing an old fashioned carriage. "Aw, Marshmallow, that will be us soon."

She was all over the place, but he knew it was his job to lead her in the right direction. "Yes, it will," he agreed with a quick kiss to the top of her red hair. "Look, there's the store over there."

Marshall was glad when Lily took off on her mission, leaving him to follow slowly in her wake. He was less than enthusiastic about visiting another shop while she tried on different dresses and lamented the fact that none of them were her dream dress. This was worse than he imagined wedding dress shopping to be, only because he really had no clue. He only knew that he was going to be a father, and his primary job until the baby came was to keep its mother happy.

Lily was already deep in the racks when he made it inside the air-conditioned store. Taking a seat in the impossibly uncomfortable wooden statues that passed as chairs in the trendy boutique, Marshall pulled out his phone and busied himself with sports news, texting Ted and playing games. Fifteen minutes later, Lily announced that she was feeling queasy and dismissed her husband to retrieve her morning tea. Marshall pulled up a neighborhood map on his phone and quickly made his exit before she decided she needed his opinion after all.

Five long hours later, Lily still didn't have her dress and Marshall still didn't have his peace. Her feet were swollen, and she was tired and cranky. In turn, this made Marshall feel antsy and impatient, neither of which was helped with the heat. Lily seemed defeated, and for the first time, Marshall had no idea how he could help. However, instead of fessing up to it, he put her in the backseat of a cab to send her home and promised that he would not return until he had her dress. Lily needed a hero right now, and Marshall was just the man for the job.

Retracing the route he had made that day on the map, he relied on an application to tell him what other stores were nearby. Then, he headed over to a newsstand and looked through twenty magazines until he found the one with the photo spread. Armed with a designer's name and a description of the dress, he set to work calling all of the stores until he finally found a glimmer of hope. It had only taken visiting seven stores and calling sixteen, but he finally had his gown.

He felt a little out of place as he literally skipped down the sidewalk toward the small couture boutique on Seventh. Within fifteen minutes, he had paid for the gown and had it professionally wrapped in a bright pink box complete with white ribbon. Like a valiant soldier returning home from war, he had fought the good fight and come out on top. Standing at the corner in the Garment District, in front of the statue, he raised his hand to hail a cab and then smiled up at the sky. In some strange way, it was the first time he felt like a father.

Years later, Marshall and Lily still had photographs with Lily in that dress on their mantle. Even more importantly, they had that dress professionally sealed so that her daughter could have it someday and perhaps even pass it on to future generations of the Erickson clan. And on the day that daughter, his first born, comes home to tell her father that she is going to have a baby, Marshall takes her to the corner of Seventh Avenue and 39th Street and tells her that this where he first fell in unconditional paternal love with her.


	3. 7th & Bedford

Ted and Barney's misadventure began like any other for the womanizing blonde businessman and his architect friend. Large amounts of alcohol had been consumed, and Barney couldn't remember how he ended up where he woke up. Now usually that meant he had gone home with a woman whose name he would never learn, but a month with Robin meant that those days were over. Instead, Barney's scotch bender had left him in handcuffs in the women's bathroom at McLaren's. It wasn't a pretty sight.

"Ted, seriously, man, you have to come now," Barney barked in a harsh whisper into his cell phone. The last thing he wanted was for his friend to wander down the hallway and reveal to Robin his whereabouts. It had only been a month, and it was too soon for him to be messing up. Besides, there was a very dirty bra stapled to the ceiling over his head, and the filth simply wasn't good for his favorite Italian suit. "And bring all the keys that you can find at my apartment. I'm pretty sure I have to have one that fits these things. Goodness knows I've collected about a thousand over the years."

Thirty minutes later, Ted banged on the front door of their favorite bar and pleaded for Wendy to let him in. The brunette was used to Barney's hijinks and had even dealt with a few of her own during that wayward few weeks when they hooked up. Ted made a mental note to tip her double the next time they were in and fled to the women's bathroom to retrieve his friend.

"Wow," Ted deadpanned when he came into the dingy room and found Barney handcuffed in two places – his hands shackled together and then his ankles affixed together with another pair. There had been a lot of awkward situations for things that Ted never wanted to see, and Barney in that catorted position was at the summit of that very uncomfortable mountain. "Um, yeah, so, wow." The deep frown on Barney's face made Ted giggle a little. "I'm sorry, but Barney, seriously, how did you end up here?"

"I don't know the story yet, Ted, but I am sure it is legendary."

The false bravado sounded especially hollow as Ted knelt beside his friend. It was clear that the whole thing had shaken Barney's otherwise confident foundation. He had lost control last night, and that wasn't something easy for the blonde to admit. He liked to be the one who worked the room, dictated the flow of conversation and prevailed in any and all situations. Instead, last night, there had been none of that. What Ted didn't know, what he didn't quite get, was why Barney was so upset.

After five minutes of going through the bag of keys, Ted eventually produced one that freed his ankles. However, as he emptied the container completely, he wasn't as lucky about finding a key to match the cuffs on Barney's wrists. "We're going to have a locksmith," Ted announced as he dropped the final key back into the bag. Barney covered his face then and was unexpectedly quiet. It wasn't really that big of a deal, but there was something written all over Barney's face that told Ted that it was to him. "Alright, Barney, spill it. What's up with you?"

Barney looked almost ashamed then. Ted helped him to his feet and led him out of the bathroom into the main bar area where a delivery man was dropping off uniforms and a couple girls from the local high school were talking to Wendy about posting flyers around the bar. None of them even gave Barney a second glance as they exited McLaren's, but Ted knew that his friend felt like everyone was staring and judging him. What he didn't know, still, was why Barney cared so much.

"Should I get a cab?"

Barney shook his head. "Let's walk, I need the fresh air."

"Okay, now you're really scaring me. You're voluntarily walking outside in August in your suit."

The coveted suit that Barney was so worried about before had become forgotten as soon as Ted arrived. The only thing that Barney was focused on now was finding a locksmith. "I just need to get these things off and talk to Robin," he said shortly. It was funny how quickly Barney had snapped. He was staring down at his shoes, focused on the shiny black leather and the occasional swish of a leaf underneath his feet. "I just have to talk to Robin."

"Robin? Why? Did she do this?"

"No," Barney shook his head. "But don't you get it, Ted. I don't know how _this_ happened. I don't know who did this. I have to have a reason, an explanation. I can't mess this up, not this time. I need for this to work."

The desperation in his voice brought Ted back to a few summers ago when Barney was rehabilitating after being hit by the bus. He had watched one of his best friends struggling with the fact that he had fallen in love, and it had been hard on both of them. "You really mean that, don't you?"

Barney stopped quickly, just beyond the corner of 7th and Bedford in front of a key-lined storefront. The infamous Greenwich Locksmith had been decorated with more than 10,000 keys a few years back and remained a recognizable landmark to native New Yorkers. It was also a beacon of hope for Barney. He checked his watch and noted that they wouldn't be open for couple more minutes. With nothing else to do but wait, he sat down on the curb and motioned for Ted to join him.

"Of course I mean it, Ted," Barney told him. "It took Robin and I a long time to find our way back to each other. I've wanted a lot of things in my life – money, power, prestige, women – but I can't think of anything, or anyone, that I have ever wanted more than her."

"It sounds like you really love her."

"It's more than that," he conceded. "I need her. Robin understands me. She gets how I work and why I am the way that I am. I don't think that other people really get that, but I make sense to her. Even I know that doesn't come along every day, Ted. I talk a big game, but Robin knows how to get through all that, you know?"

The rare vulnerability in Barney's voice said everything and even things he didn't know he meant. Ted knew that his friend was at an important cornerstone in his life. It was an internal meshing of who he was and who he had become. Robin had embraced both of those, and Barney didn't want to lose that. She mattered to him in a way that no one, not even his friends or his mother, had mattered to him.

Ten minutes later, a kind man came and helped free Barney from the cuffs. He stood on the same street corner at 7th and Bedford, dialing Robin and asking her to meet him for coffee there so that he could tell her everything. When she arrived, he put down his carrier of java and hugged her for a long time before apologizing. After hearing everything, she could only smile and forgive him. That was their moment, this distinctly remarkable point in time, when they both knew without condition that this was something permanent. This was also the moment that Ted finally that he had completely let Robin go.


	4. Madison Avenue & 75th

Six days after Robin forgave Barney and three days after the whole gang learned the truth about the entire incident, the group's pair of females found themselves alone and enjoying some gossip. It seemed that Barney had not, in fact, cheated on Robin. Instead, he had mistakenly consumed absinthe at the hands of a conniving ex-hookup who had spotted him looking happy with Robin at McLaren's and decided to rock his world like he had hers. She had eventually come clean to Robin in the bathroom after a few too many margaritas had left her weepy and guilty. In the end, the whole thing had been a set-up.

"I am screwed," Robin confided to Lily outside of a food tent that had been set up on the corner of Madison Avenue and 75th just in front of the Whitney. They were there to take in the new Xavier Cha exhibit, but Lily's pregnancy had mandated that they needed lunch. "I am thinking about…feeling like I wanna maybe…I don't know, settle down or something…with Barney."

It took all of Lily's best manners not to do a spit take at Robin's admission. As the brunette's best friend, it was her job to help her figure this all out. After all, she had spent many long hours listening to Lily's various woes with trying to get pregnant, her relationship with Marshall, things with her father, even work troubles. She never could have seen it when they first met, but they had become like sisters. Surrounded by Ted, Barney and Marshall, she was glad to have Robin at her side.

Lily fingered the loop on her leather belt absently while she studied the TV reporter. She wasn't just the girl that Ted had fallen in love with at a bar anymore. She was their friend, one of them. She was also someone that was meant to find Barney, this much Lily knew. "Well, that sounds like quite a turning point for you, Robin," Lily pointed out. "But I don't think it's as problematic as it seems to you. I don't know when it happened, but you changed Barney. He's not the guy he was the first time you were together."

"I never wanted to get married, I'm still not sure that I do. But when Barney is around, I don't know, I feel this flood of relief because I know that there is this whole person out there who understands me," Robin tried to explain.

The redhead could only nod knowingly because she had her version of that named Marshall. She made sense with him in a way that she knew she wouldn't without him. "I know it's scary, Robin. This isn't what you expected, but that getsx to be okay. That's life. It happens to us however it's supposed to work out. I didn't think that there would be anyone for me after Scooter, but then I met my soulmate as soon as I arrived at college, and that changed my life."

The two of them continued to talk as they made their way back into the museum, their heels clicking on the marble floor as they viewed the exhibit. Robin tilted her head to the side as she took in a piece before turning to her friend. "I never thought that I was going to find the thing of storybooks or romance novels," she admitted. "I wanted to travel and report the news and make a second family away from Canada with my group of friends."

"And you've done those things," Lily reminded her. "You've been to Costa Rica and Argentina and Japan. You have worked on television as an anchor in the best city in the world. You met us. Robin, you're like a sister to me. You are my family."

"Aw, Lil, I am?"

"Of course you are!" Lily gushed, wrapping her arm around her side. "In fact, that's part of the reason that I wanted you to come with me today. I wanted to ask you something."

Robin looked at her anxiously. "What is it?" 

"Well, I was hoping that you would be part of this pregnancy with Marshall and me."

"Uh…huh?"

Lily laughed, knowing that her question sounded strange. "We are going to be taking birthing classes eventually, and I can have two people in the room when the baby is born. Of course I want Marshall there, but I was hoping you'd come in, too. You're not only my best friend, Robin, but you're also one of the strongest people I know. I might need you to help me if Marshall freaks out or looses consciousness or whatever."

Robin felt silly as she wiped a stray tear away. "I am truly, deeply, profoundly touched," she said softly, hiding her face as a group of school children passed. She then reached over and hugged her friend. "From the bottom of my heart, thank you for trusting me with this incredible honor. I would love to be part of it."

For a girl who never wanted children of her own and didn't have much use for kids in general, Lily knew that something had twisted in Robin's heart that day. A moment later, she would single-handedly cement that change. "And I was hoping that you would agree to be the godmother," she proposed. "Marshall is going to ask Ted, of course, and we both are going to ask Barney. He can be the money guy. Doesn't seem fair leaving him out, does it?"

With a thoughtful smile and another hug, Robin could only nod and agree. "It doesn't," she replied. "I will be a great godmother. I will make her spaghetti and cupcakes and buy her first gun and take her to the pet store."

It was an odd mix but so distinctly Robin that Lily had to laugh. "And if it's a boy?"

"Please, Lily, as if New York needs another male," Robin giggled. "This baby is going to be a girl."

And out of that conversation, a true bond was forged. It was more permanent now, a recognized link between the five friends. There was a marriage, a couple of bromances, a truly committed couple and a lifelong pair of friendships. Best of all, it had a birthplace – a beautiful museum and a long-removed food tent on the corner of Madison Avenue and 75th Street right in the heart of the best city in the world. It was turning point when they stopped just being friends and started to become a family. Lily could only hope that their five-almost-six-some would soon become a sevensome and that Ted would finally meet the woman that would become mother of his children. There would always be room for one more.


	5. East 161st & River Avenue

The week before Labor Day proved to be quite the climax for the fivesome from McLaren's, and no sight proved to be more monumental than the infamous corner of East 161st and River Avenue, the home of Yankees Stadium in the and Marshall were there taking in a game a few days before Ted went back to school for the fall semester, while a pregnant Lily, dutiful Robin and bored Barney took in a sample sale at Bloomingdale's. They had all agreed to meet outside the park once the afternoon game was out for dinner at Johnny's Famous Reef Restaurant to celebrate the end of another great summer together.

"So I am thinking about putting a few skylights in the office on the top floor," Ted told Marshall as they discussed his final design plans for his beloved dream home he was still working on. It had been a project already two years in the making with at least a few more to go, but Marshall hadn't seen his best friend so passionate about anything since meeting Robin almost seven years ago. "I don't know. I'm just really excited."

Marshall thought about the tiny details of planning the nursery and how happy that made him. In fact, that was part of why he agreed to let Lily go shopping. Besides the fact that she was going to need maternity clothes pretty soon, she was also trying to find bedding to match her imagined theme for the baby's room. "I can understand that," he told his friend. "I just hope that Lily comes back in one piece. I remember the riot that nearly happened last year when they brought out the shoe racks. Hopefully the baby section will be a little calmer. She is really set on finding everything for the baby's bed today."

The two of them chatted idly through four innings and two beers each before heading to the bathroom for a break. Marshall checked in with Lily while Ted scanned his emails. Their conversation turned to birthing plans and midwives on their way back to their seats, two subjects that the eighteen-year-old version of Ted could have neverimagned having with a thirtysomething Marshall. He was glad that he was still best friends with the tall Minnesotan after all these years. Without a child of his own, he was very much looking forward to being a godfather and honorary uncle to Marshall and Lily's firstborn.

And despite all the progress that his four closest friends were making, Ted wasn't feeling an impending paranoia about the slow route his love life had taken over the summer. Ever since parting ways with Zoe, he had taken a hiatus from dating to focus on his career. The Arcadia project had kept him busy the past three months, and every other free moment had been spent with either his friends or working on the house. He had barely had enough time to even get to the barber for a haircut or back to Ohio for a weekend to visit his parents.

By the time the seventh inning stretch came around, Ted and Marshall were both a few more sheets to the wind and were enjoying a guys' afternoon out. They quit talking about babies and work, preferring instead to take in the local scenery (women), drink a few more beers than they should have and bonding over sports. Alcohol was their savior, letting them forget about all the pressures and stresses that came with getting older. For this one rare afternoon, for a few precious hours, they could just be two guys enjoying being men.

It was right around the ninth inning when the rain set in. Ted pulled his old faithful yellow umbrella, a relic from a party past, from beneath his seat and held it over their heads as Nick Swisher stepped up to the plate. A few minutes later, the entire stadium was on their feet celebrating as the outfielder rounded the bases after hitting a game-winning homerun.

"Man, that was an amazing game!" Ted told Marshall as they filed out of the stadium to meet their friends. There were New Yorkers everywhere, walking in the same chaotic patterns that dominated Manhattan. He spotted a few old men sitting on stools at Mohegan's. The elite bar hosted the cream of the crop at the stadium, and Ted knew it wouldn't be too long before he sat side by side with his best friend downing beers. "Where are we supposed to meet them again?"

"On the corner of 161st and River Ave," Marshall answered as they stepped back out into the harsh sunlight of the Sunday afternoon. It was a hot and humid day, but the alcohol now sweating out of their pores made it that much more unbareable. "Lily just texted me. They are on their way in a cab now."

"Perfect," Ted said as he turned around, only to run right into Cindy. A pretty petite girl accompanied Ted's former fling and immediately drew the architect's attention. He smiled at her shyly before Marshall elbowed him sharply in the ribs. Leaning forward, Ted hugged Cindy awkwardly. "Hey, Cindy! How are you?"

The brunette talked bubbily for a few minutes but Ted could only focus on her friend. She was gorgeous, and he was immediately drawn to her. Every time he looked for an opening to introduce himself to her, Cindy would pipe up with yet another tidbit from her life that Ted could really care less about. Finally, Cindy checked her watch and smacked her forehead. "We're going to be late," she announced, looking over at her friend. She leaned over and hugged Ted again, making him awkwardly shift the yellow umbrella away from his body as to not poke Marshall in the eye. "It was great running into you, Ted. We'll have to get a drink or something."

"Yeah or something," he agreed before looking over at her friend again.

"I used to have an umbrella like that," Cindy's friend announced, her eyes meeting Ted's. Just as she was about to say something else, Cindy pulled her by the wrist and the two of them disappeared back into the crowd.

"She was pretty," Marshall commented absently as he tapped out a text to his wife.

"Beautiful," Ted agreed, trying to look through the crowd to spot them. It was useless and before long, he was being yanked himself in the opposite direction of the masses so that they could meet their friends.

Some months later, Ted would find out that was the first moment he ever remembered seeing his future wife. That girl, Cindy's roommate, the bearer of the yellow school bus and the future mother of his children, was also the owner of the yellow umbrella he used that day, the same girl who was at that St. Patrick's Day party and present in the economics class whereTed mistakenly tried to teach his first architecture lesson. He would remember it long after he remembered the Yankees game or meeting his friends on the corner outside the stadium or the dinner they had afterward. In fact, it was the one thing that really stuck out from the summer of 2011. It was when who he had been collided with who he would be for the rest of his life.

That summer was critical in the paths their lives would take. It was the summer where Robin and Barney found their way back together, getting over a giant hurdle and cementing their own version of a real summer. It was the summer when Marshall realized that not only was he going to be a father but he might just actually be good at it. It was the summer when Robin and Lily became sisters instead of just best friends, giving them both a sense of family they'd never really had before. It was the summer when Ted finally met the mother of his children. It was the summer where everything changed, the summer that changed their lives. And all of those things began with an intersection, just a random street corner in the best city in the world.

_**Fin.**_


End file.
